1.Quarterback Cam Newton came out of the Auburn-imposed hiding to accept the Walter Camp and Davey O’Brien Awards. I wish the Newton we saw on Thursday had been made available to the public this season. He has a, yes, winning smile. He managed the thrust-and-parry in the interview with Chris Fowler. Newton made clear that whatever his father did during recruiting, Newton remains devoted to him. Newton didn’t provide the answers we wanted, but he provided something. That’s always better than nothing.

2.It’s one thing to understand how talented a cornerback such as Patrick Peterson is. That’s why he won the Thorpe Award. It’s quite another that voters for the Chuck Bednarik Award honored a corner as the defensive player of the year. It is recognition of Peterson ability and recognition of how college football has tilted so heavily toward the pass. A good corner can take away half the field from the opposing quarterback. Peterson has been that good on Saturdays. I bet he’ll be that good on Sundays.

3.At the end of a lousy season, and one day after head coach Mack Brown sent old friend and colleague Greg Davis out the door, Texas finally received some good news. Defensive end Sam Acho won the Campbell Trophy, the “Academic Heisman” awarded by the National Football Foundation. Acho thanked the NFF’s Gold Medal winner, Bill Cosby, for inspiring him as a child. Acho also spoke of his family’s work in organizing annual medical missions to Nigeria, his parents’ homeland. It’s easy to see why he won.